KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo father charged with abusing his two-month-old baby entered guilty pleas this week.
Paul Preston was charged with five counts of first-degree child abuse dating back to 2023.
On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree child abuse. He'll learn his sentence on July 1.
The investigation began on May 23, 2023, when the child's mom took him to Bronson Hospital.
"[Paul] was walking to the bedroom and he said he tripped and fell with the baby," Liam's mom said. "At least that's what he told me."
According to court documents, Preston admitted to investigators he punched or struck his child in the head four separate times.
He would sometimes grip his baby's head with both hands and squeeze, hold his sides and squeeze him, throw him on a bed, and into the air and catch him, court documents detailed.
Police said Preston admitted the violent acts started when Liam was just three weeks old.
The child's mother, Norene Burkhead, is charged with failing to report her child's abuse.
She's due in court for a pre-trial hearing on June 17.
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